A “sunburn” protein that helps us regret spending too long on the beach could lead to new pain treatments.
The molecule, called CXCL5, controls sensitivity to pain from ultraviolet radiation.
Scientists believe it could provide a new target for medicines treating pain caused by inflammatory conditions such as arthritis.
CXCL5 belongs to a family of proteins called chemokines which play a key role in inflammation.
They recruit inflammatorymacrophage” immune cells to injured tissue, triggering tenderness and pain.
The molecule’s specific link to sunburn was revealed in a study of volunteers who had small patches of skin exposed to UVB radiation.
Areas of sunburn were produced which became increasingly tender over one or two days.
The scientists took small samples of the affected skin and screened them for hundreds of known pain molecules.
They discovered unusually high levels of CXCL5.
Further tests on rats confirmed the result, reported in the journal Science Translational Medicine, and showed sunburn pain could be significantly reduced using an antibody to neutralise the protein.
People in their 20s are more likely to get sunburned and sit out during the hottest part of the day than those who are older, research shows.
More than half (54 per cent) of 16 to 30-year-olds go out into the sun daily during summer, compared with 44 per cent of those aged 31 to 45, a survey found.
Almost one in five (17 per cent) never avoid the hottest part of the day (11 a.m. to 3 p.m.), compared with nine per cent of 31 to 45-year-olds, six per cent of those aged 46 to 60 and seven per cent of over-60s.
When asked if they allow their skin to burn, 19 per cent of younger people do so more than once a year, compared with six per cent of those aged 31 to 60 and three per cent of over-60s.
Almost a quarter (23 per cent) of younger people also never wear a cover-up or hat to protect their skin, compared with eight per cent of those in their 30s and early 40s.
Even young people who have experienced skin cancer or had a family member with the disease are no less likely to go out in the sun or burn than those with no history.
The study of 1,000 people is being presented at the British Association of Dermatologists’ (BAD) annual conference in London.
Cancer Research UK figures show that rates of malignant melanoma, the most deadly form of skin cancer, have tripled among those aged 15 to 34 since the late 1970s. Then, there were 1.8 cases of melanoma per 100,000 people in this age group, rising to 5.9.
Nina Goad, from BAD, said young people could feel under pressure to look tanned, while older people may take into account the aging effects of the sun.